Star Fox Command

Overview

More than any other company, I truly believe that Nintendo is not so much known for their consoles but rather their great first party titles. More than Sony, more than even big bad old Microsoft, Nintendo has always had a knack for great first party support. One game that really helped lift off their Nintendo 64 was Star Fox 64, one of the most critically acclaimed games for the console. Unfortunately the Star Fox series took a turn for the worse on the Gamecube, and now hopes to redeem itself on the Nintendo DS in Star Fox Command. How does Nintendo end up doing? Read our full review to find out!

Gameplay

When Star Fox was released on the Nintendo 64 for me it was a surprise for many it was just a game that had exceeded expectations. The game used very simple concepts and that brought the game together to make a great experience. When the Nintendo Gamecube came around Nintendo thought they needed to expand the games and unfortunately the new expansion tries really failed. So you get the feeling that Nintendo would learn from there mistakes and come back with a great experience on there very successful Nintendo DS. Is that the case?

Star Fox Command is a game that really goes back to what made this game special in the first place. This is a game that goes back to the basics of the flight combat and tries to use the DS to add some new elements to the experience. One of the big elements that were added to Star Fox Command is strategy, and you will be doing most of that with the stylus. You of course take the main role of Fox McCloud, but also got to experience the game with some of his buddies as well.

The big thing about Star Fox Command is the controls, which like I mentioned earlier, use the stylus a lot, which takes a lot of getting used to. In fact I have a feeling some will be turned off with the different feel the controls give the game, but if you give it time the game will reward you with proving that this scheme works. You will start by mapping out your path through the game, which is limited on your first run through the game. But once you complete the game, more paths are unlocked, so you can experience different storylines, which adds some serious replay value.

The single player gameplay is just good old fashion Star Fox with a DS twist. The two blend together very nicely, and does even better with six player local multiplayer (one copy required) and four player online. Although the multiplayer isn’t overly deep, it is still a good deal of fun taking on other people in this game. Although Star Fox Command is not perfect, it is good to see that the series still has some power striving behind it and that the basic concept of the game still works for a great gaming experience.

Graphics

Visually I am a little torn in Star Fox Command, mainly because the game really just doesn’t manage to really bring a fresher feel to the series. In fact, some of the environments in which you take battle in just don’t have the detail or the "intrigue" that you would hope to find in a game like this. Star Fox Command isn’t a bad looking game, and holds up nice during some of the higher action sequences. This is not a bad looking game by any stretch of the imagination, but I just really was hoping for more in this category.

Fun Factor

I was actually not one of the biggest Star Fox 64 fan around, in fact it was a good friend of mine who really proved to me how good the game was. And since then I have been waiting for another game like that from the series, which unfortunately until now they have not been able to do. Star Fox Command is just a good solid action game that offers up immense replay value and incredible depth to really make it by far the most enjoyable Star Fox game since the 64 version so many years ago.

Overall

Although not perfect, Star Fox Command is still one of the top games that the DS has seen this year. The visuals could be better and the learning curve for the controls is tough, but putting that to the side this is still a great game that should not be overlooked. Fans of the series or owners of the DS looking for a good solid gaming experience should definitely take a look at this title.

Joel Szerlip

The owner and editor-in-chief of Darkstation.com. I've been apart of the website since 2002 and purchased the website in 2010. Owning and running Darkstation is a dream come true. I love video games and I love writing and talking about them even more.

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